1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to signal detection and more particularly to apparatus for detecting and imaging bodies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Biomagnetic detection imaging to date has been limited to Magnetic Resonance Imaging devices (xe2x80x9cMRI""sxe2x80x9d) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance devices (xe2x80x9cNMR""sxe2x80x9d) and ultrasound. When using MRI and NMR, the subject matter must be magnetized prior to any detection when using MRI or NMR devices. When magnetized, the subject body will have at least some of its spin vectors in a predominant direction. When the magnet is turned off and the spin vectors return to their normal position, they xe2x80x9cwobblexe2x80x9d and it is then that they can induce a voltage in a sensor. The wobble is called xe2x80x9cmagnetic precessionxe2x80x9d. Ultrasound vibrates the molecules and records the reflected waves as an image.
MRI and NMR devices use a coil of wire as a sensor or a probe which exhibits a voltage when passing over or by the polarized source. Another important concept recognizes that the spin vectors in the body are predominantly up and down. One needs to keep in mind that an unmagnetized subject matter or body still induces a voltage in a moving coil but the signals are diametrically opposed and cancel each other.
The electromagnetic spectrum is a xe2x80x9cspin one, dipole vector fieldxe2x80x9d which couples the sensor coil to the subject matter. It has been found that there is also a xe2x80x9cquadrupole tensor fieldxe2x80x9d that permeates the universe. Nuclear quadrupole resonance (xe2x80x9cNQRxe2x80x9d) is used in NMR in association with matter having a crystalline structure. The tensors are individual energy zones, instead of crystals; these nest one inside the other. In a vector field the dipoles are said to be either xe2x80x9cupxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdownxe2x80x9d and have fixed spin directions of xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d. This relationship is customarily described as the xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cright-hand rulexe2x80x9d. The thumb points to the direction of movement of the dipole vector and the fingers point to the direction of spin or current flow.
With a quadrupole field, the left and right-hand spins are independent of the dipole vectors and exist as the four factors: spin up, down, left or right, which enable a quadrupole field to assimilate the information of a dipole vector field as separate pieces of information. In other words, up, left or right will produce two signals; down, right or left will produce two additional signals. They do not cancel each other out. With a dipole sensor producing one volt, a similar quadrupole sensor will produce four volts.
It has been observed that placing a Lorentz or Coriolis quadrupole probe in a magnetic field will facilitate the separation of the dipoles as they exist within the quadrupoles. The north and south sensors, as individual poles in the dipole vector, will receive different information. The important fact or result is that the information from the subject matter or body is now sensed without the requirement that it first be magnetized. In other words, with an MRI, one magnetizes the body to produce a signal while with Biomagnetic Imaging (xe2x80x9cBMIxe2x80x9d), one magnetizes the Lorentz signals to help separate them and produce a more usable signal or not magnetize as a Coriolis signal and then separate them. The magnet facilitates, but is not necessary in the Lorentz and is ineffective in the Coriolis.
Ultrasound uses high energy sound waves, typically at 10 megahertz to vibrate bone and tissue. This is then reflected back to a sensor probe to produce an image.
Coriolis probes sense the spin two quadrupole sensor fields that vibrate the body naturally at 12 megahertz as a renormalized carrier wave. This signal can be triangulated with a probe to compose an image, as will be shown below.
An MRI device magnetizes the body to produce a signal in a coil. BMI can sense the information with or without the body being magnetized. When doing BMI Lorentz sensing, the north and south poles, with their respective probes, can be joined as a magnet with probes that is external to the subject matter and the sensing is then done on the periphery via the lines of flux. This system is good for both sensing and imaging. When the two fields with probes are separated and facing each other, the subject matter or body can be placed between the poles. Between the probes there is a void that is somewhat spherical and within this void no signal is produced. The north and south magnetic poles should be aligned reversed with the earth""s magnetic poles for best results. When stronger external magnets are used the effects of the Earth""s magnetic fields are diminished.
The demarcation between sensing and the event horizon of the void is sharply defined. The void is an area where north and south poles cannot be separated with this setup. The size of the void is proportional to the strength of the opposing magnetic fields. Moving or fluctuating the magnetic field will produce enhanced resolution at the event horizon of the void. Coriolis probes require no magnetic fields to enhance signal acquisition.
The purpose of a BMI as a bio magnetic detector (xe2x80x9cBMDxe2x80x9d) is that it can function using the methods described bove. If a BMI is to be used for imaging, the sensitivity of the Lorentz signal can be enhanced by the strength of the magnetic field, which can be varied but with the Coriolis it is the proximity that determines signal strength. Varying the field means that the separation and/or sensitivity of the signal can be varied. This translates into the fact that varying the lines of flux can determine when and where a signal is sensed.
If the only purpose is detection without spatial resolution then one can compare frequency spectrums to determine the composition of the subject. In the case that an image needs to be produced, X, Y and Z axes need to be established. Each Lorentz axis should contain both north and south poles with their respective sensors. In one example, the probe is invariant and separate coils are not required. In place of the coils, laminated sheets of Nu-metal(copyright) (metals of high magnetic permeability) are used. Each axis can be incorporated into one pair of sensor laminated plates.
Note that there are seasonal variations when using coils. In the northern hemisphere, counterclockwise spins dominate from the winter solstice to the summer solstice while clockwise spins dominate from the summer solstice to the winter solstice. The effects of spin can best be renormalized with the use of the invariant probe of Nu-Metal(copyright) used in the above described example.
Again, varying the field of a magnet with fields that are interacting with the sensor coils or plates, will set up a gradient and this gradient can be used to establish a field of view but is not required. That field of view can be magnetic and/or computer generated and will be further divided into an orthogonal grid where each box of the grid can represent one pixel in the finished picture. The production of this image using gradients is similar to conventional MRI""s.
One extremely important difference is that with an MRI the main magnet produces a polarization of the dipoles of the subject in a predominant direction. The gradient then tries to maintain the magnetic polarization while the sensors record the magnetic precession in between the gradient pulses. In the case of the BMI device, the gradient on the magnet near or incorporated within the sensors, is used to separate and strengthen the signal but is not required for either the Lorentz or Coriolis probes.
The signal is detected when a gradient exists or can be computer generated by comparing Fast Fourier Transforms (xe2x80x9cFFTsxe2x80x9d) of the signals from the sensors. It is not necessary to magnetize the subject matter. The use of a very short sequence gradient means that the area confined to the wavelength for that particular section in the grid is very small. That signal, when received, can then be further broken down via phase relationships using FFTs of one axis versus the others. The increased resolution would be a vast improvement over existing technologies. There is a high probability that resolution can be enhanced to less than the diameter of the hydrogen atom.
A typical MRI device uses a main magnet field of one Tesla and the magnetic gradient of two kilowatts. In comparison, the BMI Lorentz device can use less than 0.01 Tesla at the subject matter and may or may not require a few watts as magnetic and electrical gradients, respectively. The fact that the person receives some magnetic energy by virtue of the proximity to the sensors is not a factor that increases or decreases the sensitivity of the sensor probes.
The BMI device can continually sense and make use of its increased signal during the gradient pulses with an electronic marker to delineate the start of a pixel. The increased sensitivity is because the sensors are the area that the gradient is targeted so more or less lines of flux pass through the sensor probes. MRI devices must intermittently sense the signal after the gradient pulse because the sensor would be saturated during both the gradient and/or main magnet pulses.
Another feature of the BMI device is the use of an xe2x80x9cexcitation coilxe2x80x9d. The purpose of the excitation coil is sixfold. First, it helps force electrons, since spin two quadrupole fields do not move proportionally to the signal. This tends to connect the dipole fields with their quadrupole counterparts.
Second, the quadrupole field is the opposite of a dipole field, and therefore the use of the excitation coil enhances quadrupole sensing while reducing ambient electromagnetic noises. The reduction is typically in the order of 35+ dbm without detrimental deterioration of the quadrupole""s ability to sense.
Third, the excitation coil helps stabilize the signals. Fourth, pre-amps can be located in close proximity to sensing probes and any feedback is greatly attenuated by the fields set up by the excitation coil.
Fifth, careful selection of the excitation frequency can cause a Larmor condition of the bonding frequencies of hydrogen. This enhances the signal acquisition of the 100, 200 MHz or more bonds of hydrogen to be sensed by the probe.
Sixth, the excitation frequency will heterodyne with all other signals to cause the sum and the difference signals and those in turn cause other sum and the difference signals. Each successive sum and difference will have less amplitude. Some of these generated frequencies will set up Larmor conditions with frequencies in the subject being sensed so as to increase sensitivity. The excitation frequency should be made to spin upon its axes as phase shift modulation to more closely resemble the quadrupole fields.
A preferred embodiment would employ a small pre-amp at the sensor and a large pre-amp outside of an enclosure in which a subject is sensed. The probe, magnet and pre-amp may or may not operate under cryogenic conditions. However, it is believed that under cryogenic conditions, much more information could be acquired. If, in the example described above, the magnets used were superconducting magnets, the signal strength of the sensed signals would increase substantially and many signals that are presently too weak to be detected would be sensed. Further, it is anticipated that the signal from the pre-amp used to modulate signal will be transmitted via a fiber optic cable to reduce electromagnetic interference both in and out of the enclosure.
The human body may be considered a transmitter in that protons spin, up, down, left and right causing signals. BMI and BMD can receive signals corresponding to all of these four axes simultaneously and segregate them to produce a usable signal. With an MRI device, the gradient energy required is roughly two thousand watts of RF with a superconducting main magnet.
With the technology of the present invention, a gradient of a few watts is sufficient and helps to increase signal separation and RFI suppression, but is not required. The gradient can be used to determine frequency location along with FFTs that are produced in the body. The gradient is used to effect the sensors directly and are not required to have any affect on the body being sensed.
The most basic difference between the prior art and the technology of the present invention is that an MRI device must magnetize a body to acquire a signal while a BMI device magnetizes the signal to improve signal strength and resolution. A BMI device can be used as a non-imaging diagnostic tool such as for early cancer detection or other abnormalities.
According to the present invention, signals can be detected from virtually all matter using appropriate sensors operating in predetermined frequency ranges. An installation using both north and south poles would require one or two sensors and one or two excitation coils, preferably made to the same wavelength although it is possible to eliminate the excitation coils if the sensitivity of the receivers was sufficient. The signal should be spun upon its axis as phase shift modulation to facilitate the Larmor conditions of quadrupole fields. This is an improvement over conventional technologies that use horizontal or vertical Larmor signals.
A pick up sensor should conform to the proper sequencing of frequencies, as wavelengths, to generate a carrier frequency. The carrier is then modulated by external signal sources in four axes to generate signals in a bandwidth ranging from near DC to frequencies greater than two gigahertz (GHz). The carrier frequencies are naturally occurring and the realities change by a factor of 1,000, such as 1.08577 megahertz and 1.08577 GHz.
This sensitivity of Lorentz probes and overall response can be improved by placing a sensor in the flux path of a concentrated magnetic field. Coriolis probes operate on a normal carrier of 12 MHz. and require no magnetic field to enhance the signal. The sensor probe, in the case of a BMI or BMD device, is very small. It is measured in millimeters in diameter, rather than centimeters. This allows much greater resolution than the much larger MRI device receiving coils.
MRI devices use a limited number of frequencies with amplitude variations to make a xe2x80x9cpicturexe2x80x9d. A BMI device uses many frequencies and amplitudes to obtain a xe2x80x9cpicturexe2x80x9d with superior resolution. The BMI device has the ability to determine the chemical, atomic and anatomical makeup of the signal source, as well as structures such as cancers. The extra information can best be delivered in a full color format instead of the shades of gray found in a typical MRI printout. Each color and pixel can have additional information about each print out to increase the information about the subject matter. Dipole vector fields operate in either a vertical or horizontal plane and their modulation is either/or amplitude or frequency modulation. Quadrupole fields have the added quality of picking up phase shift modulation that is naturally occurring as an additional source of information. BMI and MRI will pick up the three types of modulation.
An excitation coil, if placed around the core of a magnetic flux field or Coriolis probes, can enhance the signal reception and reduce the electromagnetic background noise as radio frequency interference suppression (xe2x80x9cRFISxe2x80x9d), especially if phase shift modulation is used. The coil can also be used to create a gradient by itself or in conjunction with a varying electromagnet rather than relying on a permanent magnet alone to increase the lines of flux that pass through the sensor probes.
The coil operates best when the excitation frequencies are spun on their axes as phase shift-modulation.
To a small degree, this is similar to the use of RF coils in MRI devices, but with greatly increased bandwidth on the targeted frequencies. RF is used as Larmor frequency for a specific frequency. In the BMI device, RF in the excitation coil causes an increased response from frequencies ranging from DC to more than two GHz. The excitation coil should conform to all naturally occurring frequency geometry""s for best results, the same as the pick up sensor.
To construct a unit with enough sensitivity to enable it to detect the signal down to the background noise found within quadrupole tensor fields, one needs a frequency response of the sensor probes to be from near DC to over 1.8 GHz. The sensor probe is the most vital part of BMI or BMD. This technology presupposes the existence of Lorentz and Coriolis forces in the quadrupole field.
The Lorentz forces are magnetic in nature but will not move electrons and the Coriolis forces will move electrons but are nonmagnetic. In the event that the forces are weak or distorted, the excitation coil will compensate. In order to view the electromagnetic spectrum, this alignment of the Lorentz and Coriolis forces or the substitution of the Coriolis by the excitation coil is helpful and is why the spinning of the excitation signal is important.
Each combination of Lorentz and Coriolis forces has its own particular frequencies, which can be termed xe2x80x9crealitiesxe2x80x9d. When a reality is selected, one must to take into consideration all frequencies that are exhibited in that reality in descending order.
In a natural open environment, it has been found that 12 megahertz is a renormalization carrier of the frequencies found in that particular reality of the Coriolis. The Lorentz carrier allows a modulated signal at a frequency 12.8 megahertz and the cube root of 1.28 megahertz or GHz, or 1.08577 megahertz or GHz. This frequency is then modulated by the dipole vector field or by the phase shift modulation produced in quadrupole fields.
When looking at the modulation, particularly FM and phase shift modulation, of that particular carrier frequency, there will be a profusion of additional frequencies produced. With a quadrupole FM modulation, the amount of information on a single frequency is vastly superior to that of a dipole. The modulated frequencies will range from near direct current to over one GHz. The information will include such things as earth tremors, any energy conversion process or matter containing energy including sunspots, and literally thousands of other signals.
Limiting the sensor""s input of non-informational sources is essential for simplifying the analysis of the signals produced. To facilitate this goal, one may use the Coriolis probes in an open environment or may or may not use an enclosure made of one-inch aluminum plate constructed basically in the form of a two-meter cube for Lorentz probes. Some areas will require more or less amounts of shielding. A doorway with a two-inch internal flange, gasketed with radio frequency interference (RFI) tape was installed to ensure that the doorway suppressed RFI noises by at least 100 db.
A source of 120/220 volt sixty cycle A.C. is introduced into the enclosure through an RFI suppression filter of 125 db. In addition, any signal wires entering or exiting the enclosure must be shielded. That shield can be physically attached to the aluminum as it feeds through the wall.
Placing the probe inside the aluminum enclosure greatly suppresses RFI noise. Aluminum is used because it distorts the lines of flux from the person being sensed to a far lessor degree than steel. It appears that the Lorentz force passes through the enclosure apparently with little, if any, attenuation. The Coriolis force, on the other hand, is all but obliterated. This means that an excitation coil should be used to facilitate the coupling of the dipole to the quadrupole as in replacing the Coriolis to align it with the Lorentz.
Interestingly enough, it appears that inside the enclosure there exists a different reality. This reality has a cube root frequency of 1.08577 GHz or megahertz or multiples thereof that are divisible by 1,000. This is now the key frequency to which the probe must be manufactured to ensure compliance for the coupling of the dipole to the quadrupole. This means the carrier frequency will be 1.08577 GHz.
The wavelength of a signal with a frequency of 1.08577 GHz is 27.6 centimeters. The Coriolis force is non magnetic and moves electrons while the information mainly resides in the Lorentz force which is magnetic. The two produce an electromagnetic force.
The shape of the probe is a function of the length of the wire used as an antenna. In one experiment for the Lorentz, 27.6 centimeters (to correspond to the wavelength of 1.08577 GHz) of 30-gauge, gold-plated, enameled wire was used to construct the probe. This wire, after being properly configured, was placed in series with a resonating variable capacitor of 1-10 picofarads.
The wire was shortened to compensate for the length of the conductor in the capacitor. The looped wire will pick up more signal if it is spun or twisted continually with approximately 70 turns with an I.D. of 0.038 inches and an O.D. of 0.058 inches. Two coils should be made, one coil being wound with counterclockwise turns and the other with clockwise turns. Each is placed in the respective magnetic pole that results in the best response.
There is an alternative construction that also works extremely well. That involves the use of 27.6 centimeters of 40-gauge, Litz wire, which consists of 175 individually enameled wires which are twisted one turn to the inch and over coated, as a group, with nylon. The Litz wire is laid in concentric circles with an outside diameter of 0.750 inches. The coil is sandwiched between two pieces of electrical tape. The factory places a counterclockwise twist of one turn per inch and can be used in the counterclockwise coil without modification. The clockwise coil is made by unwrapping the Litz wire and reversing the twists to one clockwise turn per inch.
When these coils are individually put into the flux fields of north and south magnets, they will determine the dominant spin that is received on that particular pole. Each coil is shortened by the length of the resonating capacitor which is connected in series with the coil, usually of a capacitance of from 1-10 picofarads and adjusted to cause resonance.
The use of plates instead of coils removes the requirement of the coil""s winding direction, resonating capacitors and the use of special signal pickup probes. The plates are laminated pieces of sheet metal xe2x80x9cNu Metal(copyright)xe2x80x9d with an accumulated thickness of approximately 0.276 cm and a circumference of 27.56 cm on both plates and magnets. The circular plates are invariant to the spin of the energy. Note that the plates are centrally located to preserve the invariance and sandwiched between a 2.76 Neodymium magnet, where the plates are electrically separated from the magnets. There are other magnets placed to the left and right of the xe2x80x9csandwichxe2x80x9d so the overall length is 27.65 cm. The entire magnetic assembly is wrapped by an excitation coil.
It is important to try each sensor coil as a probe in both north and south magnetic fields to ensure that each is producing the maximum amount of output. It is acknowledged that the size of the coils could vary and still work well. Larger coils mean more space is required for the coil to be inserted into the flux field. Doubling the thickness of the coil will reduce the lines of flux by a factor of four. This reduction is proportional to the signal loss, which can be made up by using four times as many wires. Larger, stronger magnets can be used with larger coils to enhance signal acquisition.
If more than one Litz wire is used for a coil, for example 12 Litz wires of 175 strands each, the inter-wire capacitance is in excess of the capacitance required for resonance. Therefore, it is necessary to omit the capacitor and add pig-tails and resonate to two wave lengths.
At a frequency of one GHz, the capacitance to resonate the coil is extremely small, bordering on the limits of current technology, which for a frequency of a GHz and up usually incorporates waveguides with down converters. The problem is that the information must be extracted using this resonant loop. Using a Tektronix(copyright) 6204 field effect, 10xc3x97 reduction probe, which is connected across the resonating capacitor which, in turn, is in series with the sensor coil, allows resonance to be maintained. In the preferred embodiment, invariant plates with low impedance and high capacitance are employed so the use of the 6204 probe is not required.
The output of the probe is connected to a Hewlett Packard(copyright) 8447 pre-amp outside of the enclosure or other similar very low noise pre-amps. The sensor""s output exits through the wall via shielded cable to the electronics outside the enclosure. This would be true for all three axes. In the case that each axis has both north and south poles, each is put through its own shielded pre-amp before tying the outputs together to exit the enclosure.
It is assumed that conditions could be made favorable to allowing both outputs of the Tektronix(copyright)6204 probes to be tied together and use just one pre-amp. While this would result in a cost savings, it could cause a reduction in signal. The signals are fed into Tektronix(copyright) 3086 Real Time Spectrum Analyzers. These devices demodulate the A.M., F.M. and the phase shift modulations and then digitizes the demodulation""s to produce FFTs that represent the information contained in the modulation. To reduce the adverse effects of the main excitation frequency from saturating the sensor-probe, a preselector may be used to decrease the bandwidth and attenuate the unwanted excitation frequency. The 3086 also is very sharply tuned to only the desired frequency and bandwidth.
The Coriolis force moves the electrons, but its ability is diminished inside the enclosure. To replace the Coriolis and to further reduce RFI noise, one or more excitation coils are used inside or outside of the enclosure. Each coil is made by using 27.6 centimeter lengths of wire (the same length as in the sensor coil) which are laid parallel and are connected at the ends. The wires are then looped into a circle with a circumference of 27.6 cm. and soldered to a resonating capacitor, which is sandwiched between the ends of the wires.
In this case each individual wire is actually a bundle (Litz wire) of 175 wires, individually enameled and wrapped with nylon. Each 175-wire group is twisted one turn per inch by the manufacturer and then may or may not be wrapped with nylon. Each group of 500 to 1,000 Litz (175 strands) wires will comprise one excitation coil. The choice of clockwise or counterclockwise turns will effect the efficiency.
In one experimental setup, a group of 600 Litz bundles were used. The bundles had their cross sectional areas reduced by wrapping electrical tape tightly around the cross section until the entire loop was wrapped. The result was two excitation coils. (300 bundles each) The resonating capacitor can be experimentally chosen between 2 and 50 picofarads. The signal input to the excitation coils is placed across this resonating capacitor.
The signal input to the excitation coils, which are connected in parallel, can vary but a frequency of 100.08577, 120 or 250.01 megahertz at 50 ohms output impedance from a signal generator works well. The output is adjusted to result in less than 10 watts from the signal generator""s output going into the parallel excitation coils. Each excitation coil is placed in the same plane and centered around each pickup sensor coil. The output should be adjusted for optimum sensitivity.
The 120, 100.08577 or 250.01 megahertz frequencies may seem like strange values but they work well in the excitation coil to couple the sensor coil to the Lorentz and the dipole fields by simulating the Coriolis force. Each quadrupole reality may be made up of numerous frequencies but there are key frequencies that need to be present in order to satisfy the hierarchy of energy and frequency and may or may not be spun upon their axes in conjunction with A.M. or F.M. modulations. As mentioned earlier, 1.08577, 8.577, 100, 200, 300, 400 and so on including 1.08577 GHz, need to be represented in some form in order for proper coupling to exist.
The primary frequency is 1.08577 GHz. Numerous frequencies have been selected from combinations of these numbers and using empirical data, the frequencies of 100.08577, 120.0, 250.01, 100.04289 or 100.0214 megahertz appear to be the best suited frequencies for the experimental equipment and the goals that have been set.
Hydrogen atoms resonate at 100, 200, 300, 400 megahertz, and so on. To this is added 0.08577 megahertz to get a total of 100.08577 megahertz. To receive the 300 and 400 megahertz frequencies from a subject requires higher excitation frequencies. Remember that applying these frequencies causes approximately 35+ dbm attenuation of the electromagnetic spectrum while leaving the quadrupole enhanced, so long as the excitation force is not excessive.
Although the excitation coil has five functions, the bulk of the wire requirements are there for RFI suppression. Different frequencies and/or wattage can be used. The makeup of the excitation coil is also somewhat arbitrary considering certain design criteria. The surface area of the numerous wires is a key factor. Using many smaller gauge wires will increase surface area. One drawback is that the smaller wire has more resistance. On the other hand, more wires can be added without exceeding the same wattage input.
The novel features which are characteristic of the invention, both as to structure and method of operation thereof, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be understood from the foregoing and following descriptions, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and they are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.